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I know/am familiar with a lot of the Jeep groups around here and sadly many of them are just very pretty mall-crawlers and grocery getters with fresh wax-jobs and tire-sidewalls still wet from all the ArmorAll, that only go "off road" on flat dirt roads one or two times a year. We dont associate with those kinds.

Let's see if I can clear any of this up for you. GMRS radios set to a repeater channel will always transmit (output) on 467 and receive on 462 (input). It will be just the opposite on a repeater. The repeater will transmit on 462 (output) and receive on 467 (input) For your question on Tone vs Tone Squelch. Normally when Tone is selected, the tone is only set on your radio's transmit. Tone squelch will set the tone for both transmit and receive.

Jeepers are weird.

I met her in 1971 and she gave me a dehydrated lizard. (yes, seriously.. they were selling trinkets like dried snakes, lizards, scorpions, etc..)

For the last 8 years we have lead 1 or 2 groups per year (20-40 Jeeps each group), up Goler Gulch, through Mormon Flat, up to Schmit Tunnel, over to Holland Camp, the Cleanser Mines, then out Last Chance Canyon. For this year's event I am thinking about getting an Air Raid Siren..

That’s really an expensive, inefficient, and possibly inadequate solution. First, it’s fuse limited to 10 amps DC at 12 volts, so it possibly won’t work for some 50 watt radios. Of course you could use it to power your radio by plugging a switch mode power supply into the AC outlet but then you’re accepting the inefficiency of the inverter to produce 120 volts AC and also the inefficiency of the switch mode power supply. So you lose several percent of the energy in the battery. Just get a decent LiFePo4 battery and put it in a plastic ammo box. Or buy a ready made one that isn’t designed around a 10 amp fuse.

Because that might lead to jealousy, anger, rage or violence ....

Base station 50w radios are mobile radios that aren't installed in a vehicle -- usually installed in a home or some other place that doesn't drive around. To run a 50w radio you need a 13.8v (approximately) DC power supply of some sort. One option is a 110v to 13.8v DC switching power supply. You would want one that provides no less than 20A continuous. That provides some level of overhead capacity. But most people buy a 30A unit for $85-$200 depending on the model. Another option is a portable car starter. Connect the alligator clips to the power lead of your radio. Assure that they are insulated from each other to avoid a very unfun experience. I used to have a portable lead acid battery powered starter that had two 9AH fire alarm (or lawn mower) type batteries in it. And it worked just fine, but when the batteries eventually grew old it was not designed for easy replacement. Nevertheless, it lasted 15 years. And another option is to build something with a lawn mower style battery or lithium battery, and an inexpensive charger. The charger would be an automotive style, and must be appropriate for the battery chemistry you choose. And a last option is to simply wire it to your car's battery or your RV's battery, if by "base station" you just mean something you can take with you and set up somewhere, so long as that somewhere is near your vehicle or RV. Powering off of USB-C is probably unrealistic for a 50w radio.

You should have used their rubber ducks for target practice.

For the price, it is surprising the quailty the Baufangs offer.

I tried the tones on that repeater and it didn't respond. I went through the set and still nothing. I don't think it's running anymore. Said it was put into the database 16 years ago, so it may be defunked. Looks like the owners GMRS license had expired in 2011 https://mygmrs.com/license/WQFG755

It is very extremely manly!

So we go out shooting today in are fine hot desert.. Packing up and starting to leave a caravan of jeeps with all types of advertising on them parade by us. Something big even going on with outlanders in our desert this weekend. As we are watching, one guy in his jeep parks up on a hill within eye site from us.. All of a sudden we are hearing an Air Raid Siren, Louder than hell.. Turns out the guy on the hill has some sort of a hand crank air siren mounted in the back of his jeep and he is up there cranking away... Then the GMRS radios let loose.. Everyone was enjoying the nosie and their fun.. We left them behind in their dust.. It was actually kind of neat. They all defiantly had GMRS Radios and they gathered on 10, 11 & 12

The only person well enough known to be upvoted or downvoted just because of “who they are” is Randy, and for the most part I don’t think many (if any) people have downvoted him because of that. SoCalGMRS gets downvoted because of how he treats others, not because of who he is. If he stopped treating others that way the downvotes would quickly cease. It’s that simple.

I won't argue that point. But when someone is always negative and/or hateful with every single reply then they are going to get down voted.

On the internet? Surely, you jest. No one would ever do that...

You spelled SUPERStar wrong..

Duh! Obviously would be because its haunted!

Imagine the chaos if a certain person knew who keeps down voting all of his posts As of now he can only point his finger at everyone on the forum.

They are to a price point and are bringing in a lot of new interest because they are accessible. All good things

I believe that would not be permitted by the FCC’s interpretation of the regulations.

I own the AR-5RM, UV-5r/Bf-f8hp, and AR-152. Quality control can be an issue. I sent back a UV-5r and a 5RM because the batteries wouldn't lock into place and an AR-152 because the audio was extremely low; the replacements were perfectly serviceable. I'm not intentionally abusive to my radios, but I'm not particularly gentle either and they just keep working. I frequently say that Baofengs are better radios than you have a right to expect for the price.

I reset ch 22 and 38 to TONE and TSQL and that worked. And then set to fake DCS values, which worked. And then put the original DCS values back and it's still reading correctly. So, it's OK for now but I can't be sure it won't reoccur because it did occur on new channels I added for testing.

Somewhere on Youtube there is a video of some weird guy submerging a UV-5R in the toilet, freezing it and running it over with his very-manly Jeep... The screen cracked when the extremely-manly Jeep ran it over, but the radio still worked just fine.

isn't the display light intensity programable on that raido?

OK, OK, SUPERSTAR

Does anyone know of any abandoned radio towers near Illinois?

You are correct sir.. We try to get up to Garlock/Last Chance Canyon 1 or 2 times a year but we've only been in that area you specified once, 7 or 8 years ago, after checking out The Pinnacles.

i too would like to know.. if not the exact spot, at least a more generalized location - i'm curious if its one of the areas we ever go to.

Pretty much every single 50 watt GMRS or amateur radio is going to pull between 10 and 15 amps on transmit when set to high power. Read the specifications in the manual that came with your radio to be sure. I personally would not want to be pulling a 10 amp draw all of the time on a 10 amp fuse/circuit.

Thank you much.

Just get a Cat 5 or Cat 6 extension cable: https://a.co/d/fJtoY4p

I do it all the time.

And secret upvotes as well.

Chirp has been instrumental in helping “unlock” certain GMRS radios that come from the factory locked down to satisfy FCC requirements. The Baofeng UV-5X(G) comes to mind. Since the DB20-G has an easy procedure from day one to “open” it using its keypad, using Chirp to enable transmission on Channels 8-14 is superfluous.

@OffRoaderX WOW! I'm a big fan of the channel!

Here's another option: https://www.amazon.com/SUPON-Stainless-Cushioned-Universal-Photography/dp/B08RDQMHMK/ref=sr_1_20?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7F0MoaqS1hOXuseoMg5yEjYpp_O-zMI5uiSuOpv_Fuk2OfTdof57AzGC2DiJN2Ps9tYlipokl8qTVyhO2GAXghhtsG07MAx29IdW_9oXP289HV-XBsLZZ3bcP5q779s1U3ql4RT8k1qVGGvMOYXnlcy7YSMBnpRadQZCGNGJDt44ZxiEjWfclO4NgkyvRZomTc2pwLghdBkTluuXs2JsIqZ4ghtBk8Z-DAlrjvTstFqtTqoeWWkLwJUBzc_J28W99A5RiyQuPoFS082QeKHlDsq0nXRMXyg6PH7XJj0ewjY.AvkF1II5IvOKkPeMniBdCh2UnX9ERVlRYHFX1jRFq5U&dib_tag=se&qid=1749492042&sr=8-20&srs=18203216011

Better value. Thanks for that!

Nope they start with a M as in the M38, M38A1, and M170. The CJ's are just tamed down versions for civilian use

Yeah: it is from the format you chose to use for your original post. I suspected it was inadvertent! its a true PITA! I avoid most of the threads that use this style, but I am committed to following up on DB20-G support.

if i remember, that was yellow water too

I see/hear a lot of folks taking great joy in knocking the Baufang brand and Cheap Chinese Radios in general, but the proof is in the pudding, and quite often these cheap little radios can surprise us!

Even the Baufang's are pretty tough. Couple years ago when installing solar panels on my RV roof one of my UV5R jogged loose from my pocket clip and took a 12' fall to the cement.. I just said 'oh $hit" let it sit there on the cement while I continued with my work. The radio was blaring away sitting there on the ground. When i got down on the ground i checked her for damage, nothing but a slight indentation on one corner of the radio bear the antenna. Today, its one of my favorte radios, only becuse its been battle tested.

True, but it's not about the cost/value of the radios. It's about being sure they don't get damaged and will work when you need them.

That is only for the base load coil minus the antenna element. Without the antenna element, the base load coil is essentially useless. The actual price including the antenna element is $84-$88. That is like buying a brand new car at an advertised price, but if you want to drive it out the driveway, you will need to pay extra for the engine and tranny. Who in their right mind would buy just the base load coil. Arcadian (Arc Antenna) price for the complete antenna, Larsen NMO27C, is $72.47. Buying from most discount warehouse operations that specializes in cheap and counterfeit products is not always the best deal. Buy from a reputable radio electronics outlet.

When I got my first pair of HTs they were the TDH3 but the HAM version. Shortly after I discovered they could be switched over to GMRS. I looked into it and discovered the licensing was just $35 and that covered the family. The process was a pain and by the time I had finished up I had 8 windows open that were required to obtain this license. Not really the surprise. After playing with these radios I was surprised to find out my wife didn't hate them. After a short while I ended up getting a mobile tranceiver that I put in the house as a base station. My wife didn't really care for talking on it but she did like to listen to the active repeater. Eventually I put up a good antenna and I got a mobile unit so I could keep in touch with my wife. She enjoyed being able to contact me. I put up a repeater at my shop and even though communication was difficult because of hills and trees she enjoyed contacting me by the radio over texting or phone unless she couldn't get me through the radio. Eventually I found out my antenna and/or coax was faulty and changed that out and now the connection is much better. My repeater is 50w and the mobile is 20w and the repeater can get to the house better than the house can get to the repeater. So I decided to get a 50w for the house. Ordered the power supply and the radio. The PS came today and my wife was excited. She knew nothing of what I had ordered. She thought I got a new radio. I was a bit shocked. The normal expectation when a husband spend money without the wife knowing about it on his hobby is to be frowned up or worse, being yelled at. She was disappointed that it was a power supply and not a radio. She still doesn't know I ordered the radio. I didn't want to take the surprise away from her when it does arrive. Can a guy be more lucky.

I'm new to this also and went through the same progression, i.e. HT to mobile, with the expectation of eventually adding a base station -- maybe a repeater at some point. All this would, obviously, require lots of equipment and a modest stack of bucks, especially with more than one vehicle in the household. I've satisfied all of my use cases and spent a total of less than $150. How? By making everything portable. I have a 25W mobile radio and a small 3dB mag mount antenna. The radio plugs in to the cars' cigarette lighters so nothing is hard wired. I can move it between the cars and bring it inside to use as a base station. As I type it's sitting behind me in a closet atop a pizza pan hitting a repeater that's about 30 miles away. Hell, I could use it on my fiberglass boat but I don't want to explain why I have a pizza pan on the bow. Is this top-notch gear? Nope, but it works very well for me. I'll eventually upgrade (probably the antenna), but for now everything is working everywhere, and I haven't drilled a single hole. Oops, forgot the new inside power supply, so let's call it $200 total.

No BS. I would spend it anyway whether she approved or not. Life is too short to not have a few pleasantries and hobbies. She has surprised me in the fact that she shows interest in the radio - period. I expected when I got the base station installed it would always be "can you turn that thing off/down". But for the most parts no complaints. She even joins in on the nets on one of the repeaters. I consider this electronics which she has no interest in. I guess it's the gossip part of it. You get to listen to other peoples conversations and then talk about them later on. And after 38 years of marriage it's nice to have another topic to talk about.

I have found that there is no one magic antenna that will work well and/or be an improvement over the stock antenna for all handheld radios. The Nagoya and Abbree 771G antennas did make a difference with my Baofeng GMRS radios but the stock antennas on my Wouxun GMRS radios did better than the 771Gs did. All you can do is try a few different antennas and go with what works best with your radio.

I live in West Asheville. Got internet back some hours ago. Things that worked great during the aftermath which featured zero cell phone service, no power, no water, no internet. Power was out 1 week. Water out for 2 weeks. Wouxun KG-905G with Nagoya 771G or Diamond RH77CA. I bought 3200mah packs for both HT's and they were charged fully as well as the original 2800mah batteries. I never had to charge them during 4 days of no cell service. I never had to swap out batteries either. I used one to scan to listen to work crews with a Laird FG-4503 antenna on the roof. It and the Bolton600 feed line went through the storm no problems at all. Wind rated to 125mph. A few days later I replaced the 4503 with a TE connectivity FG-4607...also 125mph wind rated. Giant improvement for listening close as well as far away! I only have the 2 Wouxuns so I gave my daughter a Quansheng K5-(8) Programmed with all gmrs and frs channels. We stayed in the first 7 channels and that radio performed flawlessly with it's stock antenna. It just sipped the battery and still showed full charge after 4 days of being used. Daughter much preferred the smaller "cute" radio. A solar power bank kept the cell phones charged as both ladies ran the batteries in them down as they fruitlessly searched for service. The electric chainsaw and other Dewalt XR power tools did all I needed and also did not need charging for the week with no power. Whatever base radio you get, make sure you can power it. Overkill on the antenna windspeed rating is also recommended! Both GMRS antennas I have used have one piece radomes. And a 5 year warranty. I bought a Midland MTX-500 because I wanted to test it and figured if it works ok it can be used as a mobile or base. It arrived on the Wednesday before the storm. On Thursday the antenna arrived...and I took a break from pumping out the basement to unbox it. Friday all services disappeared. The midland is extremely easy to program repeaters into without a computer and it has enough power into repeaters to work well. I never needed it during the blackout. The HT's were more than enough. Power output seems fine as it draws very close to 9 amps@13.9 volts into the 4607 on repeater inputs. It has 128 channels too. No tone scan, a major omission. Audio recovery is excellent on weak signals. I was going to buy a part 95 kenwood but it will have to wait for my finances to recover. The Midland is way overpriced...it cost more than my Icom 2730A which is dual band and has crossband repeat built in. And tone scan and so many other features its nuts. But it's legal and works well. The ANL is obviously a DSP noise reduction scheme that rapidly nukes intelligibility as you go past the lowest setting. The radio gets hot if you transmit a lot on high power. A small nearly noiseless fan I have on hand blowing air under the radio makes it stay nice and cool. The Midland never exhibited intermod or signs of overloading here before the storm when used with a high Comet GP-3. After the storm I heard some weird stuff that sounded like intermod but my SDR showed "someone" was using equipment that was a wide pulsed signal that moved around the band occasionally. It was heard on the Wouxun on the other antenna at the same time...as well as a Icom 8500. Not intermod. A strange out of place transmission. Only noted during heavy military air traffic. Its gone now...air traffic is much much lower. The midland is great for scanning as the audio is good and it is much less noisy than the Wouxun. It performs on par with the Icom 2730 as far as sensitivity. It actually has a useful signal meter that only goes all the way up for really close or ultra strong signals. The wouxun pegs its scale so early it is useless for determining when someone is very close. I like the Midland, even though it is overpriced. The Wouxun KG-905G and the Nagoya 771G are both very highly recommended...as is the TE Connectivity FG4607 and the Bolton600 feedline. Sorry if this post is a bit chaotic or unclear. I am still a bit disoriented. I used ham radio, GMRS, and the scanners heavily for information. I won't post some of the things I heard. Really horrible stuff. Much worse than the media coverage conveys. I fared very well actually. But others lost everything. Many others.